Bottle-sealing machine.



J. B. CASSADY.

BOTTLE SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. l9ll J. B. CASSADY.

2 SHEETS-SHEFT 2.

WITNESSES JZW 6 Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

111mg I UNrrRD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. CASSADY, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AssIGNoR '10 TILIEL PERFECT BOTTLE CAP COMPANY, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A. CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

BOTTLE-SEALING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. CASSADY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Sealing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification. V

My invention relates to machines for sealing bottles with metallic caps, of the type applicable when the bottle has an annular head adapted to be covered by a metallic cap having a crown portion with depending an nular flange adapted to be bent, crimped or compressed against the.annular head of the bottle below the lip thereof.

Such machines have long been known in the art and comprise, speaking generally, a

standard wherein is mounted a bottle support beneath and invertical alinement with an overhanging vertically reciprocating capping head guided from a bracket on the standard, motion beingimparted to the-capping head and to a\cap-feeding device, comprising a chute leading to a slot in the cap ping head, which latter is, as shown in the drawings, a hollow body of two internal diameters, a shoulder near the base, and a coiled spring within the interior.

My invention consists, in a sealing mechanism adapted to be removably applied to able member of my sealing head, and to release the capped bottle solely by a thrust of said sealing element in the opposite direction, which restores the parts: to normal position.

Mechanism embodying the principles ofand exemplifying my invention is" illus trated in the embodiment thereof shown, in

the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a complete bottle-sealing machine. Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the bottle-supporting member. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed June 14, 1911 Serial No. $23,033.

the external casing member of my new sealing head. Figs. 3 and a are sections taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the two POSltlOIlS respectively of the sectional gripping member, relatively to the cam-acting casing member, and to the bottle head andv cap to be sealed thereon. Fig. 5 is a section through both members of the sealing head, on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6is a bottom plan view of the sealing head with the novel features which I have embodied in the bottle-support shown in section in Fig. 1

The frame or standard comprises a base 1 from which rises a column 2 wherein is mounted a plunger-rod 3 actuated through suitable geared shafting driven by a pulley treadle 5. The plunger rodi3 projects beyondathe upper end of the column 2, and

rigid with its upper end is a laterally-extending bracket 16 from which rises a standard 17 carrying a hopper 18 containing the bottle caps and mechanism of a known type,

c5 first describe the portions of the capping machine, shown in Fig. 1, including the 4,'control1ed by a clutch, and operated by a.

indicated at 19, 20, 21, 22, 28 and 24, for

feeding the caps into a chute indicated in,

dotted lines on Fig. 1, down which they pass ".singly to a receiving slot near the mouth of the capping head 25 with which the end of A bracket 15, on.

the chute communicates. the, column 2 cooperates with-said-cap-feeding mechanism to support a rod'22 andra spring 23 coiled around it between said bracket and the hopper actuating devices aforesaid, said spring aiding in restoring J said devices alternately to normal upward position.

It will be readily understood that. the hopper follows the vertical reciprocating movement of the plunger rod 3'and asthero-d 22 is fixed to the bracket 15, in the operation of the Inachinethe spring 23 is compressed and as above stated aids in restoring the hopper and feeding devices to normal upward pos tion.

\ The capping-head element 25 is a hollow cylindrical body with a-flaring mouth, and it is mounted rigidly on the aforesaid bracket 16, so that it and the hopper have a vertically-reciprocating motion imparted to them simultaneously by the plunger rod 3. The capping head is engaged by the guide 15 to maintain 'ts reciprocation in a true vertical plane, he capping head is bored in two diameters to provide a shoulder 29 and is adapted to receive within its larger \interior bore, below the shoulder 29, a sea-ling head, indicated at 23in Fig. 1; said head 26 restinganormally upon a shoul- (her 27 near the mouth of and within the capping head 25, and 'a coiled spring 28 Within the smaller interior bore of the capping head serves primarily'to hold the sealing head 26yieldingly .in qolace on said shoulder, and secondarily to cushion it on an upward movement which is definitely limited by the upper shoulder 29 in the capping head. Y The bottle-supporting device must necessarily aline with the capping mechanism; it must to some extent yield vertically to pressure on the bottle head in sealing, and must be adjustable vertically to accord with thevarying heights of bottles to be capped. To

these endsI construct it in the following novel manner: Referring to Fig. 1, will be seen. an arm 6'projecting laterally from the 30.

column 2 and in this aim is threaded/a hollow sleeve or casing 7 seevsection Fig. 1

which carries .oiiits upper end a suitably cupped bottle-supporting plate 8, the afore said threaded connectionbetween theca'sing 7 and arm 6 permitting the former'to be adjusted vertically in the latter to suitthe height of the bottle to be capped. The plate 8 is provided with a central and depending supporting rod 9 having an annular enlargement 10 near its lower end, which lat ter enters a coiled spring 11-housed Qwithin the casing7, the enlargement .10 resting upon the spring; and a screw plug 12 inserted in the lower end of the casing serves to close the same and supportthe spring. The casing is bored to provide a shoulder 13 which definitely limits the upward movement of the plate-supporting rod 9, while on a downward movement thereof the spring 11 *will yield under thepressure applied to the bottle head by the capp'in mechanism.

7 I will now describe, by re erence to Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive, the more important feature of my invention This consists of the sealing head 26' shown 'in section in its twooperative positions, in one of which its elements are engaged in compressing the crown and the annular flange of the cap on the lip and head of the bottle, and in the other position releasing the sealed bottle after the closure is effected. The sealing head consists of a hollow containing casing 26, preferably cylindrical, as shown, and necessarily.

so, if the interior of the capping head 25 of;

gularity ofthe conical surface being such that it'will operate as .a progressively-acting cam to contact wlth the lower half of each of a. freely-rocking se t of dependingly-supported sealing fingers 35, constituting a sectional' gripping mem er, on a bottle-thrust movement which wi cause said gripping member to recede within the cam-aoting con- 'taining case, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and close around the bottle-head and the flange of the cap. thereon; while the same angularity of the conical' cam surface aforesaid necessary to contact with and rock-the sealing fingers to effect the sealing function, is equally'sufficient, on a return thrust, toallow a rocking movement of the sealing fingers in the opposite direction, to release the sealed bottle, restore the gripping member and its containing casing to initial normal and rela-, J

tively-inoperative position, as shown in Fig -3, ready for a repetition of the first opera tion and function stated. v The sectional gripping member consists of an annularlyarranged series of sealing fingers 35 held assembled by an annulus 41, which is preferably resilient, such as a spiral spring held in notch 42; they are 'so shaped at the top to hang dependingly and curvedat the lower half,.preferably, to best efi'e'ct a camacting contact and alsoa suitable hugging action against the bottle head. The lower portions of the fingers are formed with curved enlargements 43 which are adapted to ride upon the inclined face 44 of the head and be thereby compressed against the bottle cap to crimp thesame.

To suitablys'upport the sectional gripping member with the containing cam-acting casing, and also effect a return move- -ment of it to the aforesald normalposltion "after it has performed its sealing function,

I have provided a carrier comprising a body portion 30 fitted to slide within the bore of the casing 26,'and having a central stem 37 which, if not integral with the body 30' is held in position by a nut 38. This stem 37 is made with a basal enlargement 36 preferiably guttered 0r grooved to form*a ribbed ledge 34, whichis most suitable and con venient tohang, dependingly by their'hooklike upper ends, the sealing fingers 35 so'that the will rock freely, in the direction" of .their length, but limited therein by contact with the said enlarged end of the. stem t the carrier.

, "A spring 33 is held within the top of the casing and bearing on the top of the carrier 7 body, which obviously causes it to slide back into normal position (as in Fig. 3) on-a release of the pressure of the thrust which,

as shown in Fig. 4, has compressed such spring to put it under necessary tension. The limit of such sliding movement of the carrier body, in both directions is, however, effected by a stop device, such as the screwpin 31 extending into the periphery ofthe carrier body and playing in the slot 32 of the casing; and, to obtain the best results, the length of the carrier body 30 should be soproportionedrelatively to the casing 26, that there will be sufiicient space in the latter' that the compression spring 33 and stopdevice comprising pin 31 and slot 32, may

7 perform their described functions; and also that the lower horizontal plane ofthe carrier body 30, in normal position, will be coincident with the plane of the apex of the cam-acting conical surfaceof the casing 26.

The principle of construction and mode of operation of the machine will be well understood from the description given; but it may properly be added that in the specific form of the elements shown in the drawings, there are these "advantages namely that the enlargement on the downwardly-extending stem of the carrier. makes the first and yielding contact with the crown of the cap,

to efi'ectually seat it on the lip of the-bottle andto drive the annular flange of the cap down and around the bottle head, and this immediately before the sealing fingers begin their movement to close in against said flange; and moreover said movement is not a sudden, but a progressive rocking movement due to the conical cam-surfacewhich The ,whole action of every element of new sealing head described is purely automatlc, and not only is the pressure of the bottle head'the sole means of causing such automatic action of the elements, but the force with which the sealing is effected is exactly proportioned tor the force of the thrust of the bottle. In addition to the yieldable mounting of the several parts of the capping mechanism, the "like resiliency in an opposite direction of the-bottle support (see Fig. 1 due to its novel construc 1 tion as hereinbefore'described, practically eliminates all tendency to crush and break the bottle in the act of Sealing a cap thereon.- Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of'the United States is 1. In a bottle sealing machine havinga vertlcally reciprocating hollow capping head, a sealing head adapted to be operatively supported therein, said sealing head comprising a spring-tensioning member slidable therein, including a stop device, an annular arranged series of curvilinear sealing fingers dependently supported, and a resilient encircling annulus to cause said fingers to rock lon -tudinally on their support as a pivot,

sai seal-ing head having an interior conical cam surface adapted to engage the lower mounted sealing fingers adapted to be rocked longitudinally in an inward direction, to seal a bottlecap, by a sliding contactwith said cam surface, a supporting device for said fingers slidingly mounted in said casing; and means, including a spring and a stop device operating to impart a limited return thrust to said supporting device to thereby rock the fingers in the opposite direction to restore them to normal and bottlereleasing position.

3. In a bottle-sealing machine, the combination with a hollow capping body," of a hollow sealing head slidably supported Within said body, and having a comically-bored lower end adapted to operate 'as a cam surface, a carrier slidingly housed within the sealing head and provided with a depending annular-ledge supported on a connecting stem, and an annularly arrangedseries of sealing fingers provided with hook-like upper ends fitting over said ledge to de-- pendingly' support the fingers thereon J and permit a longitudinal rocking movement thereof, the fingers having curved outer surfaces on their lower ends adapted to be engaged by the conical cam surface of the sealing head on an upward thrust of the'carriei.

4. In a bottle sealing-machine having a i-vertical'ly reciprocating member, a hollow cylindrical sealing head, slidably supported insaid member and having a slot. in its peripheral wall ,and an interiorly comicallyshaped cam surface, a carrier slidably mounted in said head, a stop device on the carrier playing in the slot inthe head, a

spring adapted to be tensioned by a sliding movement of the carrier within the head,

and a series of curved sealing fingers de pendingly supported from their upper ends on the carrier and adapted to be rocked longitudinaHy inhne direction by a s1idingc0nnaine to this specification in the presence ofv tact f their lower curved ends with the two subscribiflg Witnesses. Q conical cam surface of the sealing head and in the oppqsite direction solely by the spring; JAMES OASSADY' 5 actuated thrust of said carrier in the-oppo- Witnesses:

FELIX B. SULLIVAN,

site direction. a

In testimony whereof I have signed my V. JAVrNs. 

